Poll: Should the EU implement countermeasures to US tariffs?

Eva Osborne

Unless you have been living under a rock, you're likely to have heard about US President Donald Trump's tariff plans.

On April 2nd, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he deeply regretted the US decision to impose 20 per cent tariffs on imports from across the European Union and sees no justification for it.

With 20 per cent tariffs on all EU imports into the US, Irish food, drink, and pharma sectors are likely to be the most impacted by the announcements.

The concerns are also stoked by fears of an EU response, which could lead to a trade war and possibly higher tariffs.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described US Donald Trump's universal tariffs as a major blow to the world economy and said the EU was prepared to respond with countermeasures if talks with Washington failed.

In a statement read out in the Uzbek city of Samarkand on Thursday, ahead of an EU-Central Asia partnership summit, von der Leyen said: "We are already finalising the first package of countermeasures in response to tariffs on steel."

So, should the EU retaliate with countermeasures in the face of US tariffs, despite the risk of a trade war and higher tariffs from Trump? Let us know what you think by answering our poll!